US3501054A - Collapsible tube dispensing mechanism - Google Patents

Collapsible tube dispensing mechanism Download PDF

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US3501054A
US3501054A US788385A US3501054DA US3501054A US 3501054 A US3501054 A US 3501054A US 788385 A US788385 A US 788385A US 3501054D A US3501054D A US 3501054DA US 3501054 A US3501054 A US 3501054A
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dispensing
tube
bar
pressure
collapsible tube
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US788385A
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Reginald E Maurice
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REGINALD E MAURICE
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    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65DCONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D35/00Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor
    • B65D35/24Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor with auxiliary devices
    • B65D35/28Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor with auxiliary devices for expelling contents
    • B65D35/285Co-operating squeezing supporting rollers

Definitions

  • the pressure rollers are driven, and a variable, predetermined quantity of material expelled, by pivoting a bell crank through an arc of adjustable length.
  • the pressure rollers are mounted so as to spring apart during reloading to facilitate inserting the collapsible tube therebetween.
  • the mechanism also dispenses the contents of the tube with a delaying action so that material expelled therefrom may be removed only during the return stroke of the bell crank.
  • the present invention relates generally to dispensing mechanisms of utility especially in extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes, and relates more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in such dispensing mechanisms.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism of utility especially in extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism for extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior proposals for such dispensing mechanisms.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is economical to manufacture, rugged in construction, efficient in operation, and easily used by both children and adults.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing material with equal facility from collapsible tubes of greatly varying size.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing the entire contents of a collapsible tube at regulable, predetermined amounts from tubes of greatly varying size and of dispensing such amounts uniformly throughout the length of the tube.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing the contents of a collapsible tube completely free of any smearing of the contents on the nozzle of the tube and, when used to dispense toothpaste onto a tooth- 3,501,054 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 brush, also completely free of any smearing of the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
  • the invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.
  • the present invention is directed to a new and improved dispensing mechanism for extruding a variable, predetermined amount of material from a collapsible tube, of particular usefulness for dispensing toothpaste onto a toothbrush.
  • the collapsible toothpaste tube is mounted in an inverted position with the closed end inserted between a pair of knurled pressure rollers mounted to a support plate which is freely verticallly slidable in a supporting frame.
  • the pressure rollers are unidirectionally rotated in intermittent, step-wise fashion and, hence, travel linearly down the length of the tube, intermittently expelling uniform amounts of toothpaste from the nozzle thereof.
  • the pressure rollers are rotated by a ratchet gear which, in turn, is driven by a pawl carried by a ratchet lever rotatably mounted at one end about one of the pressure roller shafts and slidably receiving at the other end a generally vertically extending pressure bar, the latter being generally horizontally reciprocated by pivotal movement of a bell crank.
  • a thrust-receiving, toothbrush receptory dispensing bar is latterally appended to the end of one arm of the bell crank and extends to a point beneath the tube nozzle, whereupon .pivotal movement of the bell crank by a toothbrush deposits the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
  • the ratchet lever slidably receives the pressure bar in an open channeled foot portion which is of sufficiently greater width than the width of the pressure bar to provide a delay time between the start of the pivotal movement of the bell crank and the subsequent rotation of the pressure rollers.
  • the delay time is preferably of sufiicient duration to permit the dispensing bar to move past the tube nozzle before material is extruded therefrom so that it is removed only on the return stroke of the dispensing bar, thereby eliminating any smearing of the material on the tube nozzle or dispensing bar, or bristles of a toothbrush where toothpaste is being dispensed from the tube and the dispensing bar is pivoted with the toothbrush.
  • the pressure roller shafts are supported only at the ends which pass through the bearing housings provided in the support plate and are held in tension against one another by spring clips attached to the opposite ends of the shafts.
  • One of the bearing housings is elongated so as to be of substantially greater width than the diameter of the roller shaft passing therethrough, whereby upon disengaging the outer spring clip for reloading of the dispensing mechanism, the inner spring clip causes the rollers to spread apart at their outer, unsupported ends, thereby facilitating the removal of the spent tube therefrom and the insertion of a fresh tube between the rollers.
  • the pressure bar is pivotally mounted at its upper end to the upper arm of the bell crank and also at its lower end to an equalizing lever, which, in turn, is pivotally mounted to the mechanism support frame.
  • the equalizing lever is sufiiciently longer than the upper arm of the bell crank so as to compensate for the decreased mechanical advantage obtained as the ratchet lever approaches the lower end of the pressure bar.
  • the ratchet lever is 'otated a constant distance as it slides down the pressure ar and, consequently, a uniform quantity of material is :xpelled from the collapsible tube upon each actuation of he dispensing mechanism.
  • the dispensing bar laterally appended to the bell crank xtends through an arcuate slot in the support frame vhich accommodates the arcual swing of the bar upon aivotal movement of the bell crank.
  • Adjustable stop means It the arcuate slot limits the length of are through which he bar swings so as to provide a variable, predetermined uantity control on the amount of material dispensed mm the tube.
  • FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of a dispensing mechanism embodying the present invention, the view illustrating the mechanism nounted in the wall of a bathroom and utilized to disdense toothpaste from a collapsible tube;
  • FIGURE 2 is a view in front elevation, partly diagramnatic, taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is a view in side elevation, partly diagramrnatic and partly in section, of the dispensing mechanism 3f FIGURE 1, the upper portion of the side frame panel deing illustrated broken away to show the ratchet drive and pressure roller gear mechanism of the invention;
  • FIGURE 4 is a view in rear elevation, :partly diagrammatic, of the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1, the view depicting, in solid lines, the position of the operating levers of the dispensing mechanism at rest in the starting position and, in dashed-dotted lines, the position of the levers at the end of the forward stroke of the bell crank lever and just prior to its return to the starting position;
  • FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of the pressure roller support plate of the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section view, partly in elevation, taken along line 6-6 ,of FIGURE 5;
  • FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of an alternative mounting arrangement for the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1, the view showing the support frame for the dispensing mechanism releasably mounted to a flat base plate.
  • a dispensing apparatus mounted in a suitable recess in the wall of a bathroom, preferably for use in dispensing toothpaste from a collapsible tube, such as is presently commercially available.
  • the wall recess is covered by a hinged door having toothbrush holding means mounted to the inner surface thereof.
  • the dispensing apparatus frame supporting the actual dispensing mechanism designated generally by reference numeral 2, is slidably received in the recess and held in place by retaining rail 3.
  • Supporting frame 2 includes a front panel 4, side panels 5, 5a, and top and bottom panels 6, 7, respectively.
  • the back of frame 2 is open, although it will be understood that a suitable back panel may also be provided if it is desired to have a completely enclosed housing for the dispensing mechanism.
  • supporting frame 2 is provided with track means which extend generally vertically and parallel to the collapsible tube carried by the frame.
  • this track means is formed by providing the front frame panel 4 with a rectangular slot 8 extending angularly from the top of the panel and terminating near the bottom thereof, as best seen in FIGURE 2.
  • Another slot 9, equal in width to slot 8 extends from the top of slot 8 into the top frame panel 6 so as to permit slot 8 to vertically slidably receive a support plate 10 carrying a pair of pressure rollers 11, 12, more fully described hereinafter.
  • a tube support plate 13 extends laterally outwardly from front panel 4- at the bottom of slot 8.
  • the outer edge of support plate 13 is formed with a generally V-shaped cut-out 14 for receiving the nozzle of the collapsible toothpaste tube depicted diagrammatically at 15, and includes a suitably pivoted clamp 16 for firmly holding the nozzle in place upon mounting tube 15 on the support plate.
  • a second slot 18 extends in an arcuate direction transversely across the lower end of the front frame panel 4 beneath the rectangular slOt 8, for accommodating the arcual path of travel of a dispensing bar 20, more fully described hereinafter.
  • Arcuate slot 18 also includes adjustable stop means 25 for limiting the distance of travel of dispensing bar 20 and, hence, providing a variable, predetermined quantity control on the amount of material dispensed, also more fully described hereinafter.
  • a pair of pressure rollers 11, 12 are carried by a support plate 10, the latter being mounted so as to freely vertically slidable in rectangular slot 8.
  • the generally vertically extending edges of support plate 10 are each recessed to provide channeled grooves 26 which slidably receive the edges of rectangular slot 8.
  • pressure rollers 11, 12 are mounted so as to be supported at one end only and to be normally urged apart at their unsupported ends so as to facilitate and simplify the insertion of the closed end of an inverted collapsible tube therebetween when loading the dispenser mechanism.
  • support plate 10 is provided with bearing housings 27, 28, in which the shafts 29, 30 of the respective pressure rollers 11, 12 are journalled, bearing housing 28 being transversely elongated so as to be of greater width than the shaft 30.
  • ratchet drive lever 32 Mounted for rotation about shaft 29 on the back face of support plate 10 is ratchet drive lever 32 carrying pawl 33 which, in turn, is suitably spring-pressed into meshing engagement and serves to drive ratchet gear 34 secured to shaft 29 for rotation therewith.
  • a pinion gear 35 is also secured to shaft 29 for rotation therewith and, in turn, meshes with and serves to drive pinion gear 36, secured to shaft 30.
  • bearing housing 28 is of greater length than the width of support plate 10, so as to space pinion gear 36 from support plate 10 a distance equal to the combined width of the ratchet lever and gear 32, 34, which are mounted to shaft 29.
  • the ends of the pressure roller shafts 29, 30 are each advantageously circumferentially grooved to receive tensioning wire spring clips 38, 39, which serve topress the rollers 11, 12 against each other and to lock the pinion gears 35, 36 in meshing engagement.
  • the outer spring clip 39 is mounted so as to be easily and quickly removable from tensioning engagement with rollers 11, 12 and,
  • the pressure to be exerted between the pressure rollers 11, 12 may be selectively determined by varying the thickness of the wire from which the spring clips 38, 39 are formed. It has been found that a spring clip having the required pressure for thoroughly extruding toothpaste from a col lapsible tube may nevertheless be manually spread apart with ease during the mounting and removal of the clip on the pressure roller shafts.
  • means are provided for driving the pressure rollers in step-wise fashion at variable, predetermined increments of rotational distance so that the rollers intermittently progressively move in a linear direction down the length of the collapsible tube, dispensing uniform amounts of toothpaste therefrom throughout their entire distance of travel.
  • the dispensing bar 20 is mounted to the lower end of the free arm 53 of a bell crank 50 pivotally mounted at 51, whereby dispensing bar 20 travels in an arcual path defined by the slot 18.
  • a spring 52 hearing against side frame panel and arm 53 biases crank 50 and, consequently, dispensing bar 20 laterally appended thereto, toward the end of slot 18 nearest the opposite side frame panel 5a, herein designated the starting position.
  • a pressure bar 55 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the upper arm 54 of bell crank 50 and is also pivotally connected near its lower end to an equalizing lever 57, the latter, in turn, being pivotally mounted at 58 to the front frame panel 4.
  • Pressure bar 55 is operatively associated with and serves to drive ratchet lever 32 by means of the channeled foot portion 32a thereof, which slidably receives the pressure bar therewithin.
  • crank 50 pivots about point 51, causing the dispensing bar to travel in the arcual path defined by slot 18.
  • spring 52 Upon release of the force or thrust applied to dispensing bar 20, spring 52 returns crank 50 to the original starting position.
  • the pivotal movement of crank 50 transmits a generally horizontal and slightly vertical reciprocating motion to pressure bar 55 which, in turn, imparts a leveraged tangential force to ratchet lever 32, driving the latter in a back-and-forth oscillating motion about shaft 29.
  • ratchet lever 32 intermittently unidirectionally rotates ratchet gear 34 by means of the pawl 33 to thereby drive the pinion gears 35, 36 and, consequently, pressure rollers 11, 12 in a similar step-wise fashion.
  • equalizing lever 57 By providing equalizing lever 57, for a given displacement of bell crank 50, ratchet lever 32 is displaced a corresponding distance by the pressure bar 55 at any point along its entire length. Hence, the preset quantity of toothpaste to be dispensed from tube at each actuation of the dispensing mechanism is uniformly dispensed until the entire contents of the tube have been expelled.
  • equalizing lever 57 is slightly longer than the upper arm 54 of bell crank 50 so as to compensate for the decreased mechanical advantage obtained as the ratchet lever 32 approaches the lower end of pressure bar 55.
  • pressure rollers 11, 12 are suitably knurled, as best seen in FIG- URE 2, to insure against slippage as they travel along the collapsible tube.
  • a brush receptory trough 61 is provided on dispensing bar 20.
  • the contents of the collapsible tube 15 are dispensed completely free of any smearing on the nozzle of the tube and, when used to dispense toothpaste onto a toothbrush, completely free of any smearing of the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
  • means are provided for delaying the actuation of the feeding mechanism until the dispensing bar 20 has passed beneath the tube nozzle on its forward, thrust stroke.
  • this delaying action is accomplished by enlarging the channel in the ratchet lever foot 32a so as to be of greater width than that of pressure bar 55, as illustrated in FIGURE 4.
  • pressure bar 55 moves to the opposite side of the ratchet channel without any corresponding movement in the ratchet lever 32.
  • pressure bar 55 reaching the opposite side of the channel whereupon the ratchet lever is rotated and toothpaste begins to be expelled from the tube, the dispensing bar has moved beyond the tube nozzle.
  • arcuate slot 18 includes adjustable stop means 25 for limiting the distance of travel of dispensing bar 20 and, hence, providing a variable, predetermined quantity control over the amount of material dispensed at each acutation of the dispensing mechanism.
  • stop means 25 comprises a control knob 62 threadedly releasably lockably engaging stop washer 63 carried by a pointer 64 slidably received in slot 18.
  • a variable, predetermined quantity of toothpaste may be dispensed from the tube 15 by threadedly locking the control knob 62 to the pointer 64 at the desired location along slot 18.
  • the alternative mounting arrangement comprises a flat base plate 65, advantageously cut-out along two opposed edges to form upstanding front retaining tabs 66, 67 and formed with a back retaining tab 68 therebetween. Also advantageously, the ends of the back retaining tab 68 are bent over at 69, 70.
  • the bottom panel 7 of the dispensing mechanism upport frame 2 is inserted under tabs 69, 70 and held n place on the plate by the retaining tabs 66, 67, 68. n this manner, the dispensing apparatus may be stored .nd operated, for example, in the medicine cabinet of L bathroom, without further fastening means.
  • the dispensing nechanism herein described and illustrated accomplishes he stated objects of the invention.
  • the mechanism may be quickly and :asily adapted to collapsible tubes of greatly varying aize, the tube need not be supported at the upper end hereof and it will not bend or fold or otherwise jam is the pressure rollers travel from its one end to the )ther, and essentially the entire contents of a collapsible :ube are efficiently dispensed without the creation of any wrinkles or pockets.
  • the rollers By mounting one of the pressure rollers in an elongated bearing housing, upon removal of the outer roller tensioning clip, the rollers are urged to spring open at their outer, unsupported ends, thereby facilitating the insertion of the collapsible tube therebetween during reloading of the dispensing mechanism.
  • the equalizing lever causes the pressure bar to be displaced horizontally an equal distance over its entire length to thereby rotate the pressure rollers a constant distance and, consequently, dispense the desired, preset amount of material uniformly from the tube until the entire contents thereof have been expelled.
  • the dispensing mechanism of the invention is not limited to such usage, but is equally applicable for use in dispensing any product packed in a collapsible tube and requiring pressure to be expelled therefrom, such as glues, shampoos, soaps, shaving creams, hair creams, and the like.
  • the dispensing mechanism of this invention is particularly adaptable for use with products having a viscosity such that they will remain suspended from the tube nozzle during the forward stroke of the dispensing bar to be picked up on the return stroke thereof, the invention obviously is not limited to such usage.
  • a device for dispensing material from collapsible tubes comprising:
  • frame means for supporting a collapsible tube from the nozzle thereof in an inverted, generally vertical position and a pair of pressure rollers adapted to receive the collapsible tube therebetween,
  • said frame means including track means extending generally parallel to the collapsible tube; support means freely slidably received on said track means,
  • said support means inclduing means mounting said pair of pressure rollers for rotation in compression against one another about said collapsible tube; drive means for intermittently unidirectionally rotating said pressure rollers, whereby said rollers travel step-by-step in a linear direction along the length of the collapsible tube, intermittently expelling the contents out of the tube nozzle,
  • said drive means including a dispensing bar which normally rests approximately directly beneath the collapsible tube nozzle and actuates the drive means upon being moved through a forward path of travel;
  • said pressure roller drive means further includes:
  • a bell crank member pivotally mounted to said support frame so as to have upper and lower pivoting arms
  • an equalizing lever also pivotally mounted to said support frame at one end thereof,
  • ratchet lever means pivotally mounted at one end to said support means, including means for slidably receiving said pressure bar in operative association therewith, whereby horizontal reciprocation of said pressure bar oscillates said ratchet lever means about its pivotal mounting, and
  • said gear means includes:
  • ratchet gear secured to one of said pressure rollers and a pinion gear secured to each of said pressure rollers, said pinion gears mounted in meshing engagement with one another, and said pawl means engages said ratchet gear to thereby drive the latter and said pressure rollers upon oscillation of said ratchet lever means.
  • the means slidably receiving said pressure bar in operative association with said ratchet lever means comprises an open channel slot formed in the free end of said ratchet lever means
  • said frame means includes slot means for accommodating the path of travel of said dispensing bar
  • said adjustable means comprises stop means releasably fixedly mounted in said slot means.
  • said means mounting said pressure rollers includes means normally urging the rollers apart at one end thereof to thereby facilitate the removal of a spent tube therefrom and the insertion of a fresh tube therebetween.
  • the mounting means for said pair of pressure rollers includes:
  • bearing housing means journalling one of said mounting shafts of each of said pressure rollers in said support means, the other of said mounting shafts of each of said pressure rollers being unsupported; one of said bearing housing means having a width greater than the diameter of said mounting shafts; and tensioning means removably fixedly secured between the unsupported mounting shafts of said pressure rollers;
  • said frame means further includes removable base plate means adapted to mount the device in position for use.
  • a device for dispensing commercial toothpaste from a collapsible tube comprising:
  • said frame means including slot means extending generally parallel to said collapsible tube; support means freely slidably received in said slot means,
  • said support means including means mounting said pair of pressure rollers for rotation in compression against one another about said collapsible tube,
  • said drive means including a dispensing bar which normally rests approximately directly beneath the collapsible tube nozzle and actuates the drive means upon being pivoted through a forward arcual path of travel, said dispensing bar including toothbrush receptory means, whereby said bar may be pivoted by exerting a forward thrust on a toothbrush placed in said receptory means; and means for delaying the rotation of said pressure rollers by said drive means for a time suflicient to permit said dispensing bar to be pivoted to a point forwardly of said tube nozzle; whereby toothpaste is expelled from said tube on the forward stroke of said dispensing bar, remains suspended from the tube nozzle at the end of said forward stroke, and is deposited on the toothbrush during the return stroke of said dispensing bar to its normal rest position.
  • a method for dispensing commercial toothpaste or the like from collapsible tubes comprising:

Description

March 17, 1970 R. E. MAURICE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1969 FIG! INVENTOR. /?6'/NA0 4-. Mam/cs March 17, 1970 R. E. MAURICE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.
INVENTOR. R'G/NALD E. MAURICE Arrokms'rs March 17, 1970 R. E. MAURICE 3,501,054
COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 2, 1969 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l'llllll 2H ILIIIIII'H:v
INVENTOR. /?6/M4L0 E. Mum/c:
ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3 501,054 COLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSING MECHANISM Reginald E. Maurice, 58 Ranney St., Springfield, Mass. 01108 Filed Jan. 2, 1969, Ser. No. 788,385 Int. Cl. B65d 35/28 US. Cl. 222-402 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispensing mechanism in which the closed end of an inverted collapisble tube is inserted between a pair of freely vertically mounted, intermittently unidirectionally driven, pressure rollers, whereby the rollers travel linearly down the length of the tube in step-wise fashion, inter mittently expelling the contents thereof through the tube nozzle. The pressure rollers are driven, and a variable, predetermined quantity of material expelled, by pivoting a bell crank through an arc of adjustable length. The pressure rollers are mounted so as to spring apart during reloading to facilitate inserting the collapsible tube therebetween. The mechanism also dispenses the contents of the tube with a delaying action so that material expelled therefrom may be removed only during the return stroke of the bell crank.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to dispensing mechanisms of utility especially in extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes, and relates more particularly to certain new and useful improvements in such dispensing mechanisms.
The desirability of mechanical dispensing mechanisms over hand-pressing for expelling the contents of a collapsible tube has been previously recognized. The numerous prior proposals for such mechanisms, however, have not performed satisfactorily, or have been complicated to use, or expensive to manufacture and, accordingly, either have not reached, or have not been accepted by, the general consumer public.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism of utility especially in extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism for extruding materials packaged in collapsible tubes which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior proposals for such dispensing mechanisms.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is economical to manufacture, rugged in construction, efficient in operation, and easily used by both children and adults.
Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing material with equal facility from collapsible tubes of greatly varying size.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing the entire contents of a collapsible tube at regulable, predetermined amounts from tubes of greatly varying size and of dispensing such amounts uniformly throughout the length of the tube.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dispensing mechanism which is capable of dispensing the contents of a collapsible tube completely free of any smearing of the contents on the nozzle of the tube and, when used to dispense toothpaste onto a tooth- 3,501,054 Patented Mar. 17, 1970 brush, also completely free of any smearing of the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.
The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly described, the present invention is directed to a new and improved dispensing mechanism for extruding a variable, predetermined amount of material from a collapsible tube, of particular usefulness for dispensing toothpaste onto a toothbrush.
The collapsible toothpaste tube is mounted in an inverted position with the closed end inserted between a pair of knurled pressure rollers mounted to a support plate which is freely verticallly slidable in a supporting frame. The pressure rollers are unidirectionally rotated in intermittent, step-wise fashion and, hence, travel linearly down the length of the tube, intermittently expelling uniform amounts of toothpaste from the nozzle thereof.
The pressure rollers are rotated by a ratchet gear which, in turn, is driven by a pawl carried by a ratchet lever rotatably mounted at one end about one of the pressure roller shafts and slidably receiving at the other end a generally vertically extending pressure bar, the latter being generally horizontally reciprocated by pivotal movement of a bell crank. A thrust-receiving, toothbrush receptory dispensing bar is latterally appended to the end of one arm of the bell crank and extends to a point beneath the tube nozzle, whereupon .pivotal movement of the bell crank by a toothbrush deposits the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
The ratchet lever slidably receives the pressure bar in an open channeled foot portion which is of sufficiently greater width than the width of the pressure bar to provide a delay time between the start of the pivotal movement of the bell crank and the subsequent rotation of the pressure rollers. The delay time is preferably of sufiicient duration to permit the dispensing bar to move past the tube nozzle before material is extruded therefrom so that it is removed only on the return stroke of the dispensing bar, thereby eliminating any smearing of the material on the tube nozzle or dispensing bar, or bristles of a toothbrush where toothpaste is being dispensed from the tube and the dispensing bar is pivoted with the toothbrush.
The pressure roller shafts are supported only at the ends which pass through the bearing housings provided in the support plate and are held in tension against one another by spring clips attached to the opposite ends of the shafts. One of the bearing housings is elongated so as to be of substantially greater width than the diameter of the roller shaft passing therethrough, whereby upon disengaging the outer spring clip for reloading of the dispensing mechanism, the inner spring clip causes the rollers to spread apart at their outer, unsupported ends, thereby facilitating the removal of the spent tube therefrom and the insertion of a fresh tube between the rollers.
The pressure bar is pivotally mounted at its upper end to the upper arm of the bell crank and also at its lower end to an equalizing lever, which, in turn, is pivotally mounted to the mechanism support frame. The equalizing lever is sufiiciently longer than the upper arm of the bell crank so as to compensate for the decreased mechanical advantage obtained as the ratchet lever approaches the lower end of the pressure bar. Thus, the ratchet lever is 'otated a constant distance as it slides down the pressure ar and, consequently, a uniform quantity of material is :xpelled from the collapsible tube upon each actuation of he dispensing mechanism.
The dispensing bar laterally appended to the bell crank :xtends through an arcuate slot in the support frame vhich accommodates the arcual swing of the bar upon aivotal movement of the bell crank. Adjustable stop means It the arcuate slot limits the length of are through which he bar swings so as to provide a variable, predetermined uantity control on the amount of material dispensed mm the tube.
It will be understood that the foregoing general descripion and the following detailed description as well are :xemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not 'estrictive thereof. Thus, while the dispensing mechanism )f this invention is particularly adapted to and was arimarily designed for use in dispensng toothpaste from I. collapsible tube, the principles underlying the objects )f the invention are not limited to such usage. However, aince the invention is particularly adaptable to such usage, 'eference will be made hereinafter thereto in order to grovide an example of a practical and useful embodiment )f the invention.
The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and :onstituting a part hereof, illustrate the preferred embodinents of invention, and together with the description, ;erve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of a dispensing mechanism embodying the present invention, the view illustrating the mechanism nounted in the wall of a bathroom and utilized to disdense toothpaste from a collapsible tube;
FIGURE 2 is a view in front elevation, partly diagramnatic, taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 is a view in side elevation, partly diagramrnatic and partly in section, of the dispensing mechanism 3f FIGURE 1, the upper portion of the side frame panel deing illustrated broken away to show the ratchet drive and pressure roller gear mechanism of the invention;
FIGURE 4 is a view in rear elevation, :partly diagrammatic, of the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1, the view depicting, in solid lines, the position of the operating levers of the dispensing mechanism at rest in the starting position and, in dashed-dotted lines, the position of the levers at the end of the forward stroke of the bell crank lever and just prior to its return to the starting position;
FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of the pressure roller support plate of the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section view, partly in elevation, taken along line 6-6 ,of FIGURE 5; and
FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly diagrammatic, of an alternative mounting arrangement for the dispensing mechanism of FIGURE 1, the view showing the support frame for the dispensing mechanism releasably mounted to a flat base plate.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now more particularly to the embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a dispensing apparatus, indicated generally by reference numeral 1, mounted in a suitable recess in the wall of a bathroom, preferably for use in dispensing toothpaste from a collapsible tube, such as is presently commercially available. Advantageously, as illustrated, the wall recess is covered by a hinged door having toothbrush holding means mounted to the inner surface thereof. The dispensing apparatus frame supporting the actual dispensing mechanism, designated generally by reference numeral 2, is slidably received in the recess and held in place by retaining rail 3.
Supporting frame 2 includes a front panel 4, side panels 5, 5a, and top and bottom panels 6, 7, respectively. Advantageously, the back of frame 2 is open, although it will be understood that a suitable back panel may also be provided if it is desired to have a completely enclosed housing for the dispensing mechanism.
In accordance with the invention, supporting frame 2 is provided with track means which extend generally vertically and parallel to the collapsible tube carried by the frame.
As here preferably embodied, this track means is formed by providing the front frame panel 4 with a rectangular slot 8 extending angularly from the top of the panel and terminating near the bottom thereof, as best seen in FIGURE 2. Another slot 9, equal in width to slot 8, extends from the top of slot 8 into the top frame panel 6 so as to permit slot 8 to vertically slidably receive a support plate 10 carrying a pair of pressure rollers 11, 12, more fully described hereinafter.
A tube support plate 13 extends laterally outwardly from front panel 4- at the bottom of slot 8. As here preferably embodied, the outer edge of support plate 13 is formed with a generally V-shaped cut-out 14 for receiving the nozzle of the collapsible toothpaste tube depicted diagrammatically at 15, and includes a suitably pivoted clamp 16 for firmly holding the nozzle in place upon mounting tube 15 on the support plate.
A second slot 18 extends in an arcuate direction transversely across the lower end of the front frame panel 4 beneath the rectangular slOt 8, for accommodating the arcual path of travel of a dispensing bar 20, more fully described hereinafter. Arcuate slot 18 also includes adjustable stop means 25 for limiting the distance of travel of dispensing bar 20 and, hence, providing a variable, predetermined quantity control on the amount of material dispensed, also more fully described hereinafter.
As previously mentioned, a pair of pressure rollers 11, 12 are carried by a support plate 10, the latter being mounted so as to freely vertically slidable in rectangular slot 8. To this end, the generally vertically extending edges of support plate 10 are each recessed to provide channeled grooves 26 which slidably receive the edges of rectangular slot 8.
In accordance with the invention, pressure rollers 11, 12 are mounted so as to be supported at one end only and to be normally urged apart at their unsupported ends so as to facilitate and simplify the insertion of the closed end of an inverted collapsible tube therebetween when loading the dispenser mechanism.
To this end, as best seen in FIGURES 5 and 6, support plate 10 is provided with bearing housings 27, 28, in which the shafts 29, 30 of the respective pressure rollers 11, 12 are journalled, bearing housing 28 being transversely elongated so as to be of greater width than the shaft 30.
Mounted for rotation about shaft 29 on the back face of support plate 10 is ratchet drive lever 32 carrying pawl 33 which, in turn, is suitably spring-pressed into meshing engagement and serves to drive ratchet gear 34 secured to shaft 29 for rotation therewith. A pinion gear 35 is also secured to shaft 29 for rotation therewith and, in turn, meshes with and serves to drive pinion gear 36, secured to shaft 30. It will be seen (FIGURE 6) that bearing housing 28 is of greater length than the width of support plate 10, so as to space pinion gear 36 from support plate 10 a distance equal to the combined width of the ratchet lever and gear 32, 34, which are mounted to shaft 29.
The ends of the pressure roller shafts 29, 30 are each advantageously circumferentially grooved to receive tensioning wire spring clips 38, 39, which serve topress the rollers 11, 12 against each other and to lock the pinion gears 35, 36 in meshing engagement. The outer spring clip 39 is mounted so as to be easily and quickly removable from tensioning engagement with rollers 11, 12 and,
to this end, is fixedly rotatably hooked at 40- to shaft 29 while removably aflixed to shaft 30 by spreading the clip until the open end 41 may be hooked about shaft 30.
It will be understood from the foregoing that the pressure to be exerted between the pressure rollers 11, 12 may be selectively determined by varying the thickness of the wire from which the spring clips 38, 39 are formed. It has been found that a spring clip having the required pressure for thoroughly extruding toothpaste from a col lapsible tube may nevertheless be manually spread apart with ease during the mounting and removal of the clip on the pressure roller shafts.
It will also be apparent from the foregoing that, upon removal of outer spring clip 39 from shaft 30, the pressure rollers 11, 12 are urged apart at their unsupported ends by the inner spring clip 38, the latter causing the shaft 30 of pressure roller 12 to pivot in the transversely elongated bearing housing 28 in a direction away from roller 11. The spaced distance of the inner spring clip 38 from the support plate 10 permits the unsupported ends of pressure rollers 11, 12 to be spread open a sufiicient distance for receiving the closed end of the collapsible toothpaste tube therebetween, facilitating reloading of the dispenser mechanism.
In accordance with the invention, means are provided for driving the pressure rollers in step-wise fashion at variable, predetermined increments of rotational distance so that the rollers intermittently progressively move in a linear direction down the length of the collapsible tube, dispensing uniform amounts of toothpaste therefrom throughout their entire distance of travel.
To this end, as best illustrated in FIGURE 4, the dispensing bar 20 is mounted to the lower end of the free arm 53 of a bell crank 50 pivotally mounted at 51, whereby dispensing bar 20 travels in an arcual path defined by the slot 18. A spring 52 hearing against side frame panel and arm 53 biases crank 50 and, consequently, dispensing bar 20 laterally appended thereto, toward the end of slot 18 nearest the opposite side frame panel 5a, herein designated the starting position.
A pressure bar 55 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the upper arm 54 of bell crank 50 and is also pivotally connected near its lower end to an equalizing lever 57, the latter, in turn, being pivotally mounted at 58 to the front frame panel 4. Pressure bar 55 is operatively associated with and serves to drive ratchet lever 32 by means of the channeled foot portion 32a thereof, which slidably receives the pressure bar therewithin.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that, upon exerting a suitable force or thrust against dispensing bar 20, bell crank 50 pivots about point 51, causing the dispensing bar to travel in the arcual path defined by slot 18. Upon release of the force or thrust applied to dispensing bar 20, spring 52 returns crank 50 to the original starting position. The pivotal movement of crank 50 transmits a generally horizontal and slightly vertical reciprocating motion to pressure bar 55 which, in turn, imparts a leveraged tangential force to ratchet lever 32, driving the latter in a back-and-forth oscillating motion about shaft 29. The oscillating motion of ratchet lever 32, in turn, intermittently unidirectionally rotates ratchet gear 34 by means of the pawl 33 to thereby drive the pinion gears 35, 36 and, consequently, pressure rollers 11, 12 in a similar step-wise fashion.
It will be understood that, by means of the freely vertically slidable mounting of the pressure roller support plate in slot 8 and of the ratchet lever 32 about pressure bar 55, as the pressure rollers 11, 12 rotate they move a corresponding linear distance downwardly on the collapsible tube 15, expelling a quantity of toothpaste from the tube.
By providing equalizing lever 57, for a given displacement of bell crank 50, ratchet lever 32 is displaced a corresponding distance by the pressure bar 55 at any point along its entire length. Hence, the preset quantity of toothpaste to be dispensed from tube at each actuation of the dispensing mechanism is uniformly dispensed until the entire contents of the tube have been expelled. Advantageously, equalizing lever 57 is slightly longer than the upper arm 54 of bell crank 50 so as to compensate for the decreased mechanical advantage obtained as the ratchet lever 32 approaches the lower end of pressure bar 55.
Advantageously, and as preferably embodied, pressure rollers 11, 12 are suitably knurled, as best seen in FIG- URE 2, to insure against slippage as they travel along the collapsible tube. Also advantageously, particularly when the dispensing mechanism is used to dispense toothpaste onto a toothbrush, indicated diagrammatically at 60, a brush receptory trough 61 is provided on dispensing bar 20.
In accordance with the invention, the contents of the collapsible tube 15 are dispensed completely free of any smearing on the nozzle of the tube and, when used to dispense toothpaste onto a toothbrush, completely free of any smearing of the toothpaste on the brush bristles.
To this end, means are provided for delaying the actuation of the feeding mechanism until the dispensing bar 20 has passed beneath the tube nozzle on its forward, thrust stroke. As here embodied, this delaying action is accomplished by enlarging the channel in the ratchet lever foot 32a so as to be of greater width than that of pressure bar 55, as illustrated in FIGURE 4. Hence, upon initial forward pivotal movement of bell crank 50, pressure bar 55 moves to the opposite side of the ratchet channel without any corresponding movement in the ratchet lever 32. Upon pressure bar 55 reaching the opposite side of the channel, whereupon the ratchet lever is rotated and toothpaste begins to be expelled from the tube, the dispensing bar has moved beyond the tube nozzle.
In addition, it will be seen from the foregoing description that the contents of collapsible tube 15 are expelled during the forward, thrust stroke of dispensing bar 20, and that the arcual path of travel of dispensing bar 20 creates a substantial clearance between the dispensing bar and tube nozzle as the forward stroke progresses. Thus, where the contents of the collapsible tube have a viscosity on the order of that of commercial toothpaste, upon completion of the forward, thrust stroke of dispensing bar 20, a length of toothpaste has been extruded from the collapsible tube and remains suspended from the tube nozzle. Thereafter, upon release of the forward thrust on the dispensing bar, the extruded toothpaste is deposited on the thrust-exerting means, such as toothbrush 60, as the dispensing bar is returned to the start ing position by spring 52.
As previously mentioned, arcuate slot 18 includes adjustable stop means 25 for limiting the distance of travel of dispensing bar 20 and, hence, providing a variable, predetermined quantity control over the amount of material dispensed at each acutation of the dispensing mechanism. As here embodied, stop means 25 comprises a control knob 62 threadedly releasably lockably engaging stop washer 63 carried by a pointer 64 slidably received in slot 18. Hence, a variable, predetermined quantity of toothpaste may be dispensed from the tube 15 by threadedly locking the control knob 62 to the pointer 64 at the desired location along slot 18.
Referring now more particularly to FIGURE 7 of the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated an alternative mounting arrangement for the dispensing mechanism embodied herein, which may be used when it is not desired to mount the mechanism in a custom-built, recessed bathroom wall unit. As embodied, the alternative mounting arrangement comprises a flat base plate 65, advantageously cut-out along two opposed edges to form upstanding front retaining tabs 66, 67 and formed with a back retaining tab 68 therebetween. Also advantageously, the ends of the back retaining tab 68 are bent over at 69, 70. Thus, the bottom panel 7 of the dispensing mechanism upport frame 2 is inserted under tabs 69, 70 and held n place on the plate by the retaining tabs 66, 67, 68. n this manner, the dispensing apparatus may be stored .nd operated, for example, in the medicine cabinet of L bathroom, without further fastening means.
It will be seen from the foregoing that the dispensing nechanism herein described and illustrated accomplishes he stated objects of the invention. Thus, by driving the )ressure rollers directly and mounting them for free ertical movement, the mechanism may be quickly and :asily adapted to collapsible tubes of greatly varying aize, the tube need not be supported at the upper end hereof and it will not bend or fold or otherwise jam is the pressure rollers travel from its one end to the )ther, and essentially the entire contents of a collapsible :ube are efficiently dispensed without the creation of any wrinkles or pockets. By driving the pressure rollers by neans of a bell crank pivoting through an arc and proriding a delayed action in the dispensing motion, where :oothpaste or the like is being dispensed, no material is ieposited on the toothbrush during the forward, feed atroke of the crank, and thus, when picked up on the re- :urn stroke, the material is cleanly and neatly deposited without smearing the material on the tube nozzle or on the bristles of the brush. By mounting one of the pressure rollers in an elongated bearing housing, upon removal of the outer roller tensioning clip, the rollers are urged to spring open at their outer, unsupported ends, thereby facilitating the insertion of the collapsible tube therebetween during reloading of the dispensing mechanism. Finally, the equalizing lever causes the pressure bar to be displaced horizontally an equal distance over its entire length to thereby rotate the pressure rollers a constant distance and, consequently, dispense the desired, preset amount of material uniformly from the tube until the entire contents thereof have been expelled.
The preceding description and accompanying drawings relate primarily to the use of the dispensing mechanism of the invention for dispensing toothpaste from a collapsible tube. However, as previously mentioned, it will be understood that the dispensing mechanism of the invention is not limited to such usage, but is equally applicable for use in dispensing any product packed in a collapsible tube and requiring pressure to be expelled therefrom, such as glues, shampoos, soaps, shaving creams, hair creams, and the like. Also, while the dispensing mechanism of this invention is particularly adaptable for use with products having a viscosity such that they will remain suspended from the tube nozzle during the forward stroke of the dispensing bar to be picked up on the return stroke thereof, the invention obviously is not limited to such usage.
Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific embodiments herein shown and descirbed but departures may be made therefrom without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.
What is claimed is: 1. A device for dispensing material from collapsible tubes, comprising:
frame means for supporting a collapsible tube from the nozzle thereof in an inverted, generally vertical position and a pair of pressure rollers adapted to receive the collapsible tube therebetween,
said frame means including track means extending generally parallel to the collapsible tube; support means freely slidably received on said track means,
said support means inclduing means mounting said pair of pressure rollers for rotation in compression against one another about said collapsible tube; drive means for intermittently unidirectionally rotating said pressure rollers, whereby said rollers travel step-by-step in a linear direction along the length of the collapsible tube, intermittently expelling the contents out of the tube nozzle,
said drive means including a dispensing bar which normally rests approximately directly beneath the collapsible tube nozzle and actuates the drive means upon being moved through a forward path of travel; and
means for delaying the rotation of said pressure rollers by said drive means until said dispensing bar is moved to a point forwardly of said tube nozzle, whereby material expelled from said tube is removed therefrom only during the return stroke of said dispensing bar.
2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said pressure roller drive means further includes:
a bell crank member pivotally mounted to said support frame so as to have upper and lower pivoting arms,
said dispensing bar extending laterally from the bottom free end of the lower pivoting arm of said bell crank,
an equalizing lever also pivotally mounted to said support frame at one end thereof,
a pressure bar member pivotally mounted to said upper pivoting arm of said bell crank and the free end of said equalizing lever so as to extend generally parallel to said track means and said collapsible tube,
whereby pivotal movement of said bell crank generally horizontally reciprocates said pressure bar,
gear means secured to said pressure rollers for rotation therewith, and
ratchet lever means pivotally mounted at one end to said support means, including means for slidably receiving said pressure bar in operative association therewith, whereby horizontal reciprocation of said pressure bar oscillates said ratchet lever means about its pivotal mounting, and
carrying pawl means engaging said gear means,
whereby oscillation thereof serves to unidirectionally drive both said gear means and said pressure rollers.
3. The device as defined in claim 2, wherein the pivotal 0 length of said equalizing lever is sufiiciently longer than that of the upper arm of said Fbell crank so as to compensate for the decreased mechanical advantage obtained as the ratchet lever means approaches the lower end of the pressure bar.
4. The device as defined in claim 2, wherein said gear means includes:
a ratchet gear secured to one of said pressure rollers and a pinion gear secured to each of said pressure rollers, said pinion gears mounted in meshing engagement with one another, and said pawl means engages said ratchet gear to thereby drive the latter and said pressure rollers upon oscillation of said ratchet lever means.
5. The device as defined in claim 2, wherein said ratchet lever means is mounted for rotation about the pressure roller carrying said ratchet gear, and
the means slidably receiving said pressure bar in operative association with said ratchet lever means comprises an open channel slot formed in the free end of said ratchet lever means,
whereby said ratchet lever means pivots about said pressure roller upon engagement of said pressure bar with a side wall of said channel slot.
6. The device as defined in claim 5, wherein the width of said channel slot in said ratchet lever means is sufficiently greater than that of said pressure bar so that said dispensing bar moves to a point forwardly of the c0llapsible tube nozzle before said pressure bar engages the side wall of said channel slot.
7. The device as defined in claim 1, including adjustable means for regulating the length of the forward stroke of said dispensing bar, whereby a variable, predetermined quantity of material is dipsensed from the collapsible tube upon each actuation of the dispensing bar.
8. The device as defined in claim 7, wherein said frame means includes slot means for accommodating the path of travel of said dispensing bar, and
said adjustable means comprises stop means releasably fixedly mounted in said slot means.
9. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said means mounting said pressure rollers includes means normally urging the rollers apart at one end thereof to thereby facilitate the removal of a spent tube therefrom and the insertion of a fresh tube therebetween.
10. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the mounting means for said pair of pressure rollers includes:
a mounting shaft extending axially from each end of each of said pressure rollers;
bearing housing means journalling one of said mounting shafts of each of said pressure rollers in said support means, the other of said mounting shafts of each of said pressure rollers being unsupported; one of said bearing housing means having a width greater than the diameter of said mounting shafts; and tensioning means removably fixedly secured between the unsupported mounting shafts of said pressure rollers;
whereby, upon removal of said tensioning means from the unsupported ends of the pressure roller mounting shafts, the pressure roller jounalled in the enlarged bearing housing means is urged away from the other pressure roller by the tensioning means remaining secured to the pressure roller mounting shafts.
11. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame means further includes removable base plate means adapted to mount the device in position for use.
12. A device for dispensing commercial toothpaste from a collapsible tube, comprising:
frame means for supporting the collapsible tube from the nozzle thereof in an inverted, generally vertical position and a pair of pressure rollers adapted to receive the collapsible tube therebetween,
said frame means including slot means extending generally parallel to said collapsible tube; support means freely slidably received in said slot means,
said support means including means mounting said pair of pressure rollers for rotation in compression against one another about said collapsible tube,
drive means for intermittently unidirectionally rotating said pressure rollers, whereby said rollers travel step-by-step in a linear direction along the length of the collapsible tube, intermittently expelling toothpaste out of the tube nozzle.
said drive means including a dispensing bar which normally rests approximately directly beneath the collapsible tube nozzle and actuates the drive means upon being pivoted through a forward arcual path of travel, said dispensing bar including toothbrush receptory means, whereby said bar may be pivoted by exerting a forward thrust on a toothbrush placed in said receptory means; and means for delaying the rotation of said pressure rollers by said drive means for a time suflicient to permit said dispensing bar to be pivoted to a point forwardly of said tube nozzle; whereby toothpaste is expelled from said tube on the forward stroke of said dispensing bar, remains suspended from the tube nozzle at the end of said forward stroke, and is deposited on the toothbrush during the return stroke of said dispensing bar to its normal rest position. 13. A method for dispensing commercial toothpaste or the like from collapsible tubes, comprising:
positioning a collapsible tube in an inverted, generally vertical position; supporting a pair of pressure rollers for free, generally vertical movement together in compressed relationship to one another; placing the closed end of said collapsible tube between said pair of pressure rollers; providing a dispenisng bar normally at rest approximately directly beneath the nozzle of said collapsible tube; intermittently unidirectionally rotating said pressure rollers by a driving mechanism actuated by forward movement of said dispensing bar, whereby said rollers travel step-by-step in a linear direction along the length of said collapsible tube, intermittently expelling the contents out of the tube nozzle; and delaying the rotation of said pressure rollers by said driving mechanism until said dispensing bar is moved to a point forwardly of said tube nozzle, whereby material expelled from said tube is removed therefrom only during the return stroke of said dispensing bar.
References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,563,733 8/1951 Meczelski 222102 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner
US788385A 1969-01-02 1969-01-02 Collapsible tube dispensing mechanism Expired - Lifetime US3501054A (en)

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Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4234104A (en) * 1978-06-02 1980-11-18 Apuzzo Jr Louis J Toothpaste dispenser having a slip clutch drive mechanism
US4337879A (en) * 1980-06-16 1982-07-06 Park Rodney W Squeezing device
US5957334A (en) * 1998-03-26 1999-09-28 Rosario; Antonio Toothpaste dispensing apparatus
US6364165B2 (en) * 1999-01-19 2002-04-02 Wayne R. Sampson Toothpaste dispensing system
US6378732B1 (en) 1999-11-05 2002-04-30 Rodney William Park Tube squeezing device
GB2432352A (en) * 2005-11-19 2007-05-23 John Sandham Toothpaste dispensing cabinet
US10743721B2 (en) * 2013-11-27 2020-08-18 Archer Manufacturing, Inc. Tamper-resistant devices and systems for wall-mounted dispensers
US10743720B2 (en) * 2013-11-27 2020-08-18 Archer Manufacturing, Inc. Tamper-resistant devices and systems for wall-mounted dispensers

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2563733A (en) * 1948-10-19 1951-08-07 Mitchell Victor Supporting casing for collapsible tube with means to extrude the tube contents

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2563733A (en) * 1948-10-19 1951-08-07 Mitchell Victor Supporting casing for collapsible tube with means to extrude the tube contents

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4234104A (en) * 1978-06-02 1980-11-18 Apuzzo Jr Louis J Toothpaste dispenser having a slip clutch drive mechanism
US4337879A (en) * 1980-06-16 1982-07-06 Park Rodney W Squeezing device
US5957334A (en) * 1998-03-26 1999-09-28 Rosario; Antonio Toothpaste dispensing apparatus
US6364165B2 (en) * 1999-01-19 2002-04-02 Wayne R. Sampson Toothpaste dispensing system
US6378732B1 (en) 1999-11-05 2002-04-30 Rodney William Park Tube squeezing device
GB2432352A (en) * 2005-11-19 2007-05-23 John Sandham Toothpaste dispensing cabinet
US10743721B2 (en) * 2013-11-27 2020-08-18 Archer Manufacturing, Inc. Tamper-resistant devices and systems for wall-mounted dispensers
US10743720B2 (en) * 2013-11-27 2020-08-18 Archer Manufacturing, Inc. Tamper-resistant devices and systems for wall-mounted dispensers

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